View full sizeIan Maule / GazetteJohn Head, of Kalamazoo, is a Elton John fan and tribute artist. He's seen John live 13 times and can play up to 150 songs.

KALAMAZOO -- In some corner of the planet, there may be a fan who knows more about Elton John than Kalamazoo's John Head.

Good luck tracking them down.

Head, 58, is a longtime follower and tribute artist of the British pop star who will perform at Wings Stadium on March 21. Head has won a radio look-a-like contest, seen John in concert 13 times, can perform up to 150 songs, owns all but one of John's albums -- 1979's "Victim of Love" -- and can recite, with little provocation, a litany of sonic tidbits and biographical detail about one of the best-selling musicians of all-time. He is a walking, talking, ivory-tickling encyclopedia on all things Elton John.

Head has traveled as many as 300 miles to see John play, but now has the chance to see his hero at a venue about five miles from his home. Tickets for the show will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can punch the Ticketmaster button fast enough to get seats," Head said of buying tickets to the concert online. "I was very excited, as I am with any time he has a concert relatively close."

Dressing the part

Head has lived in Kalamazoo since 2005, when he moved here from Minnesota to be the news editor at the Battle Creek Enquirer. He was laid off last February and has returned to school to earn his associate's degree from Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He is also forming an Elton John tribute band "designed to look and sound like Elton's band in his heyday in the early and mid-'70s."

Number of copies sold of the single “Candle in the Wind ’97,” a record

1969

Year his career began

Almost 3,000

Number of concerts he’s played worldwide

29

Consecutive Top 40 hits

When he first received news of the concert last week, he texted his oldest of two daughters, Erica Head, 28, who lives in St. Lake City, Utah. He then called later that night to share his excitement.

In a phone interview from Utah, Erica Head said some of her first memories as a child were listening to Elton John around the house or in the car. When family or friends visited, John Head often dressed up and played some of his hits.

"It was just dad putting on the costume and playing the piano for people," she said. "It was never anything weird to me. It was something that was always going on."

John Head has accumulated quite a collection of Elton John gear, including a series of costume pieces, such as silver platform shoes and a mink stole.

At the top of the list is a custom-made pair of glasses that resemble a piano. He paid $1,083 to have Urban Spectacles, of Chicago, make the glasses -- the frames are ebony and the keys are camel bone. He purchased them in 2010, specifically for a friend's wedding where he performed Elton John hits.

On the Urban Spectacles website, photos of the glasses are under the "oddities" category.

“They are quite a conversation piece. I’ve worn them out in public. They draw stares at stop lights," Head said.

Erica Head, who is also a fan, said her dad's passion for Elton John instilled in her an appreciation for music.

"He's a fun guy," she said of her dad. "He's a little bit fearless. He doesn't care what people think about him when he dresses up in these costumes."

Elton John's generational appeal

Head was born in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1954. He became an Elton John fan in high school when he heard "Rocket Man." After high school, he joined a cover band. Although he learned drums as a teenager, he taught himself piano "primarily because of Elton John."

"When you boil it down to basic chord sequence, it's not very complicated," he said.

Head struggles to pick a favorite song and he prides himself on learning and performing some of John's more obscure songs. But "Tiny Dancer," "Candle in the Wind" and "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" are among his top picks. He saw his first Elton John concert in October 1973 in Bloomington, Ind.

He's also met John in person once and got him to sign an original vinyl copy of 1973's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" after he won a look-a-like contest by a St. Paul/Minneapolis radio station and earned front-row tickets for a concert there in 2001. He also shook John's hand during the Minneapolis show, Head said.

View full sizeIan Maule / GazetteJohn Head performs an Elton John song in his Kalamazoo home.

Over the years, Head has become an expert on John. He's followed his progression as a musician and performer. He's well-versed in John's personal struggles and triumphs. John can appeal to "octogenarians" -- people in their 80s -- to children, including his daughters who enjoyed his work on the "Lion King" soundtrack. His stage presence and interaction with his audience has improved from his glam rock days of the '70s, making him a more well-rounded performer, Head said.

"The level of showmanship and energy he puts out is considerable," Head said.

Just before Elton John's performance at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids two years ago, a group of four men seated behind Head tried to predict the first song of the night. They wagered $1.

Head, who attended with his youngest daughter, Elise, turned to the men and said, "You guys up the ante to $10 apiece and I'll tell you what he'll play."

The men said the amount was too rich, but Head offered up his thought on the first song of the night and also predicted a three-song medley later in the evening.

Of no surprise to his daughter, he nailed the picks. The men behind him later asked how he knew. Head said his daughter turned to the men and said, "Don't get him started."

For the record, Head thinks John will open the Kalamazoo show with "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding."